This invention relates to circuit packs.
Circuit packs include a circuit board with components mounted thereon and an electrical connector or deposited gold fingers on one edge of the board. In a typical interconnection scheme, a plurality of pins is provided through a backplane mounted at the far end of a shelf. Each pack is inserted vertically or horizontally into the shelf (also known as a "subrack") on guideways so that the connector engages the appropriate pins for connection to that circuit pack when the pack is in its final position. The circuit pack is usually inserted into the backplane using a lever, sometimes referred to as a latch or injector-ejector.
One of the problems which can occur in using circuit packs which require mating of pins and sockets is the occurrence of bent pins which affects the reliability of the system. Bent pins can occur due to misalignment between the pins and the circuit pack connector. Shelf tolerances and circuit pack rotation are the primary contributors to this misalignment. In order to deal with the rotation problem, the prior art has suggested reducing the rotation of the circuit packs by means of a lever on the circuit pack faceplate (see U.S. Pat. No. 4,638,405) or by means of fulcrums mounted on the face of the connector (see U.S. Pat. No. 4,960,387).